Delving into a series instead of a single book is like deciding to move somewhere amazing, instead of just taking a vacation to your favorite place.

When I enter a book-world that is beautifully and thoughtfully built, with rules that I find mind altering, characters that I find fascinating, off the chart stakes, and a writing style full of searing sentences… I really, really don't want it to end.I want to find out what happens, of course, so I inhale the pages, but when it's over, I don't want to leave. Happily-ever-after is unsatisfying when it comes too quickly. I want to see what happens with the people, discover more layers of the world and its inhabitants, see how the rules the writer started with shape and illuminate the story over time. Sometimes its cool to see a 'slice of life', but what I really want is to see how characters and places change over the course of a specific, high stakes time period; how they rise and fall and shift and deal with adversity, how they course correct, what they learn - good and bad - and I like for the writers to be able to take their time while taking me on a journey. I like tv shows better than movies for that same reason. I guess I'm just a "monogamous" type of girl.

Truthfully… I'm in between series right now - ugh! Ick! Yikes! The horror!So I decided to use a blog entry to manipulate you all into giving me series recommendations in exchange for a few of mine. I could go on, and on and on - in fact I might do a whole blog list of my favorite series - but for now, here's the three that pop up in my mind today:

Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy was a masterpiece. Read the first few pages and try not to be hooked. I triple dog dare you. I marvel at her sentences as much or possibly more than the brilliant way she uses our cultural concepts of monsters, fairy tales and spirituality against us, pushing the readers to see our own world with new eyes. I was so not ready to leave Karou after one book - No way! In truth, it was painful to leave her after three. I am secretly hoping for another trilogy from her, set in the same world.

One of my favorite experiences EVER was reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. There are a few that happen in "order", but what links them together is that they all take place in the same world. That's it. The characters in each are from completely different parts of the world. Sometimes they bump into one another, which is fantastically fun. There is one particular character (no spoilers, but Prachett lovers know who I mean) who shows up in at least a minor guest spot in every book. You recognize him because his dialog is in all capitol letters. Sometimes he is the main character in the story, sometimes he shows up in a scene to push the characters in the story forwards, and sometimes he's just passes by the protagonist like a ship in the night (always in some hysterically random and wonderful way). The books are all really great, but when HE shows up, it's like a reward/gift to those who have committed to reading every Discworld novel. You want to look at someone else and scream - "there! he just popped in! how awesome was that?!?!" Because you know who it is, even if nobody else in the scene does. Of course, the really, really great thing about this series - even better than that little gifts - is that it takes a long time to finish with Discworld. Wiki has forty-three titles listed, and I'm pretty sure they missed some.That man is a writing freak of nature, and I love him for it.

I also adore the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, because each book is told from a new protagonist's voice. The twist? It's always a cleverly re-imagined fairy tale character whose store we vaguely recognize, but somehow, she manages to surprise you with HOW she gets there, even though you know its coming. I also like that the heroine (or villain) from the last book always shows up in the next, so we don't lose them, and lastly, I love that they are always set in her brilliantly cool and complicated futuristic setting, so that with each story you are continuing to delve deeper into the hows, whys and whats of the world.

Okay, your turn!! Gimme your fave series (YA appreciated, urban fantasy preferred, but by no means is either required). I'm ready to commit to a new world!

Well, I just started Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I can see what you're saying- it immediately grabs you within the first few pages and I'm super excited to be starting a new series that I think I'm going to love! I absolutely agree with you- I'm a series girl all the way. I get totally invested in characters and I hate saying goodbye. One of my favorite authors is Abbi Glines (don't read if you don't adore romance!) and she has a very clever way of writing several books but keeping the characters going as each new one released- maybe a family member or a friend that was a smaller role from the book before. Jennifer Armentrout has a couple of really good romance series like this too. Someone told me the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is absolutely amazing so I plan to put that one next on my list if you want to add it to yours!

Outlander has been added to my list - thanks so much for the suggestion! And… OMG I'm so excited you delved into Smoke & Bone - it is so incredible! I wish I could read it again for the first time...

Reply

Jamie Azevedo

3/12/2015 12:26:40 pm

Actually, I have never read a series so I love reading these recommendations... I will tell you, though, my all time favorite authors are Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison.... amazing, amazing works! "The Bluest Eye" is at the top of the list!

Jamie: Bluest Eye is my favorite Toni Morrison book. I wrote my college essays about how powerful that reading experience was. I actually think you would LOVE Daughter of Smoke & Bone too. Its epic, and such a visual book - you can "see" everything so clearly that I think your visual artist muse would jump up and down reading it. :)

looking through lists of books...
The Artemis Fowl books (but i didn't get through the last one)
In "grown up" series, I love the Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and her new series co written with Lee Goldberg. They are light and quick reads. You can't read one right after the other as they get too similar and yet you want to know what happens in their lives next.
In the Stephanie Plum books, i may have missed a few, but i listened to 2 of the last ones while driving and the love triangle is getting very very old. (just a warning).
The Chief Inspector Armand Garmache books by Louise Penny are lovely.
(can you tell i like mysteries)
back to young adult - the Enders Game books - good.
The PennyRoyal Acadamy - the first in the series - good (but seems written for film, especially when you read the author's bio)
Seraphina and the sequel - about dragons and half dragons - just finished the sequel
the Selection series - i loved.
The Matched series - the first one was really good. the other two, not horrible, just not as much time spent on them.
If I Stay & Where She Went (just 2) - have the 2nd one ready.
there are so many more. but must get to work.
:-)